Gene Simmons Won’t Allow Ex Kiss Members to Wear Makeup at Shows

Gene Simmons said that if any former members of the band were to make guest appearances on Kiss’ upcoming world tour, they wouldn’t be allowed to wear makeup.

It’s been speculated that the road trip – expected to begin in January 2019 – could be the band’s farewell after they trademarked the phrase “The End of the Road.” While Simmons offered the reply “I don’t know” to the question, he did say the idea of former bandmates appearing had crossed their minds.

“We talked about it,” he told Imperiumi in a recent interview (translated by Google). “But we have not decided anything. The problem is, if you bring out special guests, they come on without makeup. … You cannot put on the makeup. You’ve been out of the band 20 years. It’s not going to happen.”

Simmons had only positive things to say about the former colleagues who had appeared at some of his Vault solo events. “Everybody was very sweet," he said. "Vinnie Vincent was fine. I thought it was going to be a problem. No problem. Ace [Frehley] loved it so much. He went to three different cities. … Peter [Criss] was fine. He came by for a short time, told the fans how much he loved them and then he went back. I think Peter is done. He does not want to be in the public eye. He'll sign some autographs, but that's it.”

Flashing forward to the prospect of Kiss’ final show, whenever that might be, Simmons was asked whether it would be a good time for every living member and former member of the band to appear together. “It sounds like it should be, but I do not know yet,” he said. “We'll see.”